Bottling Dynamics, which has beeen in operation for 18 months, celebrated its move to the former Parkinson’s Wool sheds (at Auburn’s southern entrance) with Clare and Gilbert Valleys Mayor Allan Aughey conducting the official opening.

Directors Julie Barry, of Good Catholic Girl Wines; former grape grower Phil Ireland; and Ben Jeanneret of Jeanneret Wines started Bottling Dynamic because most Clare wine producers were transporting their wine to other regions to have it bottled.

The Auburn facility includes a bottling line, laboratory and a large storage area for the finished product, with the company planning to complete the service by offering freight forwarding.

Mr Jeanneret said his interest in bottling lines had been sparked by frustration at the lack of bottling options available to small winemakers.

He started using a mobile bottling plant and eventually imported his own bottling plant, starting a journey which provided the ultimate test to his patience and expertise.

“I was told: ‘You’ve bought a 747 and you’re going to take it back to Clare and you don’t have a runway’,” Mr Jeanneret said.

“I’ve always loved machines and there’s no finer or more complicated piece of machinery than a bloody bottling plant.”

He was approached by Phil Ireland with the suggestion that they go into the contract bottling business and, together with Julie Barry, they have built “the runway”.